Coyote Lake Camping – August 16-18, 2013

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IMG_6965There you have if folks, another successful camping trip in the books!  Brandee (my wife), Jack (our dog) and I packed up the car once again to make our second camping trip in three weeks.  The weather conditions were ideal; not too hot, not too cold and no rain in the forecast.  We were ready and eager to head-out on an adventure.  The anticipation in our house had been growing as Brandee and I were making our plans you could also feel that Jack’s eagerness to head into the wilderness was also building.

IMG_6966After several weeks of planning with a bunch of my technology-minded friends, we all packed up our gear and headed out to Coyote Lake Park for two nights and three days of fun, sun and socializing.  Coyote Lake was the same place Brandee and I were at a few weeks ago and we were nearly in the same location this time so we were well-prepared with knowledge of the campgrounds.  I reserved a total of three campsites.  Each campsite is big enough for 2-3 tents and Coyote Lake is also a dog-friendly campground so the finally tally of people and pets was as follows:

  • People:  17!
  • Pets:  7!

Yep, you got that right, 17 people and 7 dogs (pets)!  It was SO much fun with all the activity going on.  Never a dull moment.

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IMG_6972On this particular adventure we were joined by Marc (with his family, friend and three dogs), Semyon (with his family), Eugene (with his wife), Chris (with his wife and three dogs), and Ivan (with his family).

We all arrived at Coyote throughout the day on Friday afternoon so between 3pm and 8pm-ish most of the time was busy just helping get everyone setup and conformable with the settings.  By evening everyone was well prepared and ready to have a great time for the weekend.

 

semyon eugene kevin ivan coyote lake 08 17 13So all of us technology nerds arrive at the campground with either non-existent, or at the best, weak internet signal so this indicated our sincere dedication to disconnecting from the cyber-world and connecting with each other (face-to-face) as people.  Overall, this is absolutely what I enjoyed most about this particular excursion — the social interaction between all the groups was tremendous.  One of the most amazing events happened, by total coincidence, which was remarkable.  Four of us had worn t-shirts advertising different U.S. cities such as New York, Boston and San Jose.  I assure you this was not planned but it was quite a hilarious experience!

 

eugene kevin chris marc smoking cigars coyote lake 08 17 13One special moment that was absolutely noteworthy was that one of the camping participants (whom shall remain nameless) brought a bottle of nice Scotch and a few cigars for ‘the boys’ to enjoy. So we all gathered our lounge chairs on Chris’ camp site and talked about solving the world’s most serious problems (insert sarcasm here) as well as other topics way beyond my meager brains compute power. This picture does not pay true justice to all the fun of the event, however.  Not pictured are all of the other campers, friends and family that came to socialize together.  This was an absolute highlight for me to gather everyone in an informal setting and just being fun together.

A personal highlight of this trip was a long, roughly 5+ mile walk I went on with Semyon and his wife.  When I say long, I mean extremely long :-) but it was great fun.  Neither Jack nor I are used to so much physical activity.  Give me a computer keyboard and internet access and I’m wickedly active but long walks, I’m just not accustomed to.  We walked nearly the entire length of the lake and back!

IMG_7006I would like to say that Coyote Lake has some of the most wonderful and kind park rangers.  Every single one of them has been so kind and helpful.  Coyote Lake is highly recommended as a convenient place in the San Francisco Bay Area for overnight camping, day picnics, fishing or all sorts of water activities.

In summary, I would like to thank everyone (and of course their willing families) for such a great memory.  This was the sort of adventure that lasts a lifetime.  So much fun and I can’t wait to do it again very soon!

Additional Photos of our fun:

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Sharen Neal, Lifetime Achievement Award, NAMIPC

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NAMI – Placer County

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IMG_6957Today, August 15th 2013, my mom, Sharen Neal, received a well-deserved lifetime achievement award from National Alliance on Mental Illness association of Placer County (NAMIPC – http://namipc.org).  It was so wonderful that Loretta alerted us in advance of this event so that we could plan to be there in-person.  This was a regularly scheduled meeting for NAMIPC but Loretta (President of NAMI – Placer County) added a twist by adding a special ceremony before their regularly scheduled meeting for my mom and Pauline.

IMG_6952It was very special and they presented both Sharen and Pauline with an awesome/custom-engraved plaque recognizing their years of service and then we all had some delicious celebratory cake and drink.  Of course neither woman went looking for recognition like this; rather personal situations drove them to commit their lives to helping others.  I admired both Pauline and my mom for their commitment to the cause of improving the welfare of the Mentally Ill because it is such a vicious condition.  It’s hard to diagnose, difficult to treat and challenging to treat in the proper way (especially with such limited resources).  It simply is a lifetime affliction for most and more research/education on the topic needs to be forthcoming so we can better address the needs of those in-need.

 

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Click the banner link above to learn more about NAMI – Placer County 

For those who might not know, my mom has been a relentless advocate on behalf of the Mental Ill of Placer County (California, in the Sierra Foothills where they live).  She has been a strong advocate for rights and due-process.  Her life is dedicated to making others lives better through her advocacy in the association.

While I’m not exactly sure how many years she was involved in NAMIPC as a volunteer serving in several capacities, the fact-of-the-matter is that she will most likely always be involved in some capacity.  To help others is simply in my mom’s DNA and I absolutely love her for this!

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It was quite the feat to pull-off getting everyone organized but my wife, Brandee, managed to pull it off perfectly, although there were a few close-calls considering the constrained time considerations.  This is how it went down.  First, my older brother, Mike and his wife, made the trip from Santa Rosa.  Then my younger brother, John, made the trip from Chico and, finally, Brandee and I made the trip from San Jose.  So, as you can see, this was a weekday (Thursday afternoon) collaboration with many participants, from various parts, that typically does not happen.  However we were all determined to be there for this great event and we wouldn’t let anything stand in the way;  so we did it in honor of Sharen!


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Pictured from left to right:  John, Sherry, Mike, Floyd, Sharen, Kevin
(behind the camera = Brandee)
 

Mom, we, and especially on behalf of all those whom you have helped in life previously, as well as that you will help in the future, appreciate your passion and commitment to helping the Mentally Ill!  Thanks so much from everyone!!!

 

Black Sabbath concert, Shoreline, Mt. View, CA, August 26, 2013

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[UPDATE: 5/17/14]

As I listen to some classic Black Sabbath tunes I’m reflecting back to the night I saw Black Sabbath at Shoreline with a few of my friends.  Not only was it great fun with a bunch of awesome guys but the show was simply awesome!

I had rather low expectations, honestly, because the Sabbath guys are getting old but they did not disappoint.  In fact, just the opposite! They were not only great – they were terrific!  The sound was incredible.  The song list was outstanding.  And the energy was unbelievable.

Without-a-doubt this was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen (or will see).  These guys in Black Sabbath are clearly not hurting for money so they do these concerts for the love of making music.

I was very privileged to have seen Black Sabbath.  You should too if you get the chance.

****

Here’s what Black Sabbath performed on Monday (Aug. 26) at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View, based on my notes and information from www.setlist.fm:

1. “War Pigs”

2. “Into the Void”

3. “Under the Sun”/”Every Day Comes and Goes”

4. “Snowblind”

5. “Age of Reason”

6. “Black Sabbath”

7. “Behind the Wall of Sleep”

8. “N.I.B.”

9. “End of the Beginning”

10. “Fairies Wear Boots”

11. “Rat Salad”

12. “Iron Man”

13. “God Is Dead?”

14. “Dirty Women”

15. “Children of the Grave”

Encore:

16. “Paranoid”

Self-Medicated (2005) – Movie Review

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self-medicated

This was a guest movie review post by one of our fans:

Brandee Neal

This was a pretty good movie that really tugs at your emotions with a story about a Mother-Son relationship.

‘Self-Medicated (2005) Rated: R’ starts by establishing one of the main characters, Andrew, who is a 17 1/2 year old boy.  He’s a teenager where he likes to be with his friends, drink to excess and experiment in life.  Some of his activities are reckless and overboard.

It’s clear that Andrew and his mother had enjoyed a good relationship previously, yet had been somewhat strained since the passing of their father/husband for some unknown reason (this was not relevant to the plot – so I’m glad it ‘didn’t go there’).  Next, Andrew’s mother, had him forcefully admitted to a rehabilitation facility.  She had every good intention but this facility turned out to be basically a mental institution.  This was NOT a place for Andrew but his Mother had no knowledge of how they were treating her son.  They would keep him in solitary confinement for hours, or threaten him by having him write written essays of ‘500 words’ or ‘1000 words’ at a time.

In the end, the movie had a good moral plot and if people would listen to each other, and not get defensive, then what this kid was put through wouldn’t have happened.  It’s a classic story of people living in glass houses and throwing stones at others for reasons they don’t understand because they assume instead of taking the time to understand.